Automatic brake-setting device.



H. R. NEVENSJ AUTOMATIC BRAKE SETTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9, 19!.;

Patented Feb. 29, 1916 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

2 63 mu um- H. R. NEVENS.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE SETTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1911.

Patented Feb. 29,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mm m VV/TNESSES To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hannna'r R. NnvENs, a citizen of-the United States, residing at Melrose, county of Middlesex, Common- 5 wealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Brake-Settin Devices, of which the following is a specihcation.

This invention relates to brake setting devices and particularly to a device for setting the air brakes of a railroad train and for accomplishing this purpose also through the medium of a certain novel portable track plate. In my prior Patent No. 739,907, September 29,1903, I set forth a construction for this'general purpose and explained therein the particular objects of the invention. Theseobjects, as stated therein, have articularly to do with providing a means bywhich one ofthe crew of another train might stop an on-coming train without depending-uponthe uncertainty of signals.

One of the difiiculties attendant upon the construction disclosed in my said former atent, and also I believe common to other devices known in the art has been the effect of'snow, ice or othersubstance lying upon orcloselyadjacent to the rail. This discovery has led to my present combination, in which I so relatively position the arts that a wheel, as for instance one of t e wheels of the pony truck, as shown in the drawing, iards and breaks away for the tripping ever or whatever suitable mechanism is to be used. I have, furthermore. devised a track plate capable of combination with such a construction, the principal feature of the samebein its capability of yielding to the passage the wheel while immediately ibecoming effective upon the braking mecha nism which follows the wheel.

-T he construction and operation of my device will be more fully described in the specification which follows. Hficationandin the drawin s which form a part of'it I have describe and illustrated aformwhich I find well adapted to practical use and which I have set orth and discussedin detail as well illustrating the o ,principles of myinvent on.

like ,referencenumerals are emplo ed to indicate}; corresponding parts an in the drawingsi- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomo- Specification of Letters latcnt.

In that speci- Throughout specification and drawings I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT B. HEVENS, 0F MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO NEVENS-WALLACE TRAIN CONTROL COMPANY, A CORIPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE-SETTING DEVICE.

Patented Feb. 29,1916.

Application filed June 18, 1911. Serial No. 684,010.

ti ve equipped with my device, Fig. 2 a rear view of the pony truck showing the tripping mechanism, Fig. 3 a plan view of the same, Fig. 4 a portion of a rail in side elevation with my movable truck plate applied, Fig. 5 a plan view of my truck late upon a rail, Fig. 6 a sectional view 0 the plate on a rail, Fig. 7 is an enlarged view corresponding to Fig. 2, showing in further detail the operating mechanism and indicating the position of the regulator. Fig. 8 is an enlarged side view of a wheel with the tripping arm behind it, and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of one end of the tripping arm and the valve taken on the line 99 of F ig. 8.

Upon suitable brackets 1, bolted to the frame of a pony truck or any other convenient truck on a locomotive tender or car, I

rovide bearings 2. J ournaled in these earings 2 is a shaft 3 upon each end of which is-set an arm 4 adjustable by a screw connection and held by a lock nut 4. The arms 4 are set to the gage of the track so as to come directly over the center of the rail and follow directly behind the wheel \V. The shaft 3 is hollow having within it a rod upon which a pin 31 passes through a slot 32 cut in the shaft 3. rod 30 is exposed in a head 33 to which access may be had for restoring the parts of the adjusting device to its normal position. This adjusting device consists of a slidable sleeve having a somewhat conical surface. The sleeve 40 is connected to the shaft 3 by a clutch 41 so that when the rod 30 is pushed in to restore the valve connections the shaft 3 will also be locked to it so that the arms 4 may be swung back to their normal vertical position. The slidable sleeve 40 is connected by links 42 with a fixed sleeve 43 which is held fast on the shaft 3. Between the several pairs of links 42 are weights 44. The connections between the sliding sleeve 40 and the fixed sleeve 43, therefore, constitute a device in the nature of a ball governor.

The operation of this part in brief is as follows :-'When the arms 4 are tripped the shaft 3 will be rotated, thus impartlng a 1'0- tation to the weights 44. This rotation of the weights 44 under the centrifugal action draws up on the links 42, disengaging the clutch 41 and sliding the sleeve 40 past the stem of the valve 51 which opens the air systems of the train brake. It will be seen At its outer end they of the lever 4. The parts are so adjusted that when moving at ordinary speed tne arm 4 Will be tripped so as to impart such a re"- olution to the weights 44 as will only partly draw the sleeve 40 past the valve stem 50. That is to say, only the less steep part of the double cone shown in Fig. 9 will become effective upon the stem 50. 4 This will give the ordinary or service application of. thebrakes. If, however, the train is running at high speed and the arm 4 be tripped, the Weights 44 will be given a more violent rotation and thus be acted upon with greater centrifugal force, throwing the sleeve 44 a greater distance and bringing the steeper part of the cone surface of the sleeve under the valve stem 50, thus applying the emergency pressure to the brakes and bringing the train to a more sudden stop.

The valve construction may be of any suitable type but I hHXB shown a casing 52 'mediately rise upon having a spring 53 surrounding the upper part ofthe stem 50. The pipe 54 leads to the pressure tank 55 which is connected in the usual manner with the brake system 56.

My tripping plate may be made in various forms but in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I have specially illustrated a preferred form. which consists ofaplate 60 adapted to rest upon. the tread of the rail. On each end it has a tapered portion 61 so that the plate may be applied to rails of varying width. The plate 60 has a down turned flange 60 and to this on each side is pivoted the ends of a leaf spring 62. The plate 61 is cut out in the middle part of its upper face and across this I is set a bridge supported at each of its endsby the sprlngs 62. The bri lge,'therefore, is capable of being pressed down 'flush with the plate 61 by the wheels but will imthe passage of the wheel rea dv to engage the arm 4 which follows the wheel.

My device as described will be used in the following manner :--A brakeman is sent back. as usual. He carries with'him the light portable track plate 60 which he ap- I plies to the rail at a suitable distance from his own train. If now a following train attempts to run by him without heeding his ordinary signals, either through the inability of the engineer to see his signals or through disregard for the same. the track plate 60 will beencountered. The wheels of the engine run over the tapered end 61 of the plate 60 and strike the bridge 63 which is depressed but rises again promptly after the passage of each wheel. In the form shown. the bridge will be depressed by the wheels of the pony truck but immediately upon the passage of the second wheel motion of the, arm 4 will be .more or-less .application of the brakes.

'While I have discussed and claimed my invention in the terms of its application to y the present railway system, it will be understood that it may be applied to any system of this nature and that the terms employed should be so construed.

Various modifications may obviously be made in the form of rail plate, in the location of the tripping lever upon dilferent wheels. and the specific connectionand construction of the parts. The governing device may. also be obviously varied or, may

be omitted although I find the same to be of great value in giving practical service as it is not, of course, advisable to give an emergency application of. the brakes unless absolutely necessary. All these various modifications are asserted to be within the scope of my present invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I; therefore. claim and desire to se-.

cure by Letters Patent is 1. In combination with a brake system a device for automatically setting air brakes by contact witha track obstacle applied to the rail tread comprising a trip mounted behindthe wheel; and positioned directly over the tread of the rail. said trip being operatively associated with the brake system to set the same upon contact with the track obstacle.

2. Automatic air brake mechanism for railroad trains comprising a track obstacle adapted to be applied to the rail tread and means operable by said track obstacle located over the rail'and behind a wheel for "causing the application of the brakes.

3. In combination with the relief valve of I an air brake system, a normally inert relief mechanism in operative association therewith, a track obstacle, and a train carried tripper effective upon track obstacle to overcome the inertia of said relief mechanism, and impart toit a velocity proportionate to the velocity of the train whereby the air valve is relieved in a degree proportionate to the velocity.

' 4. In a device for automatically setting contact with said air brakes on arailroad train the combination of a valve for relieving the pressure on the train line pipe, a centrifugal dev1ce,op-

, actuating the latter, and means'positioned erative connections between said centrifugally moving device and said valve, tripping means located behind a wheel for imparting to said centrifugally moving device a r0- tative tendency, a rail plate, and a yielding tripper on said plate;

5. In a device for automatically setting air brakes on a railroad train the combination of a valve for relieving the pressure on" the trainline pipe, a shaft, a centrifugally moving device on said shaft, operativeconnections-between said device and said valve,

a tripping arm on said shaft and located behinda wheel for imparting to said centrifugally moving'device a rotative tendency, a rail plate and a yielding .tripper on said plate and adapted to engage said arm.

.6. In a devicefor setting the air brakes of a train, the combination of a valve for relieving the pressure on the train pipe, a centrifugally moving device, operative connections between said device and said valve for exteriorly ofthe train for imparting a rotative tendency to said centrifugally moving device. r I V '7. In a device for setting air brakes on a train, the combination of a valve for relieving the pressure on the train pipe, a shaft, a centrifugally moving device on said shaft, operative connections between said centrifugally moving deviceand said valve to actuate the latter, and a tripping arm on said shaft for imparting thereto a rotative tendency.

8'. In a device for. automatically setting air brakes. on a train, the combination of a valve for relieving the pressure on thetrainpipe, a shaft, a centrifugally moving device on-said shaft, a member mounted for relative movement longitudinally ,of said shaft,

anoperative connection between said trifugally moving device and said longitudinally movable member for moving the lat-- ter, said longitudinally mova le member being effectively associated'with said valve totransmit thereto the movement imparted thereto by said centrifugally moving device.

9. In combination with, a car-brake system, a brake setting device comprising a centrifugal member, an actuating device for the brake system operatively connected with said centrifugal member, and means operable exteriorly of said car for imparting to said centrifugally moving device a rotative tendency.

10. An automatic brake mechanismv for railroad trains, comprising a yielding tripping means supported over a rail tread, a

member located over the rail and behind a wheel and adapted for actuation by said tripping means, and means on the train operable by the actuation imparted to said member to cause the application of the brakes.

11. In a device for setting air brakes on a train, the combination of a-valve for vary- .ing the braking pressure, a speed varied controlling mechanism on the train operatively associated with said valve to actuate it to a greater or less degree and an externally operated actuating device for said controlling mechanism variably operable according to the speed of the train. I

12. In combination with the relief valve of an air brake system, a-movablemember having an operative actuating relation thereto, a train-carried tripping device efiectively disposed to receive the force of an impact with a track obstacle, and means positively connecting said movable member track obstacle, and means positively connect- 7 ing said valve actuating means and said trip. In testimony whereof I affix. my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERBEBTR. NEVENS.

Witnesses:

PERCY W. LYONS, LESLIE ,L. BREWER. 

